Faith
by griffinandblake
Summary: Staring at a motionless television screen for hours on end does something to a person Bellamy has decided. Especially, when the staring takes place in a poorly ventilated van on an unseasonably warm October afternoon. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Staring at a motionless television screen for hours on end does something to a person Bellamy has decided. Especially, when the staring takes place in a poorly ventilated van on an unseasonably warm October afternoon. Beads of sweat roll over his neck and forehead as he shifts to look out the windshield of the van he's sitting in. He presses his binoculars more firmly to the bridge of his nose as if that would make something appear. He sighs and lowers them before taking a swipe at the pool of moisture they left across his face. Bellamy is once again reminded that the cliché of boring stakeouts is intact for a reason and he can't help but be disappointed.

"So," Bellamy's partners starts. He turns to look at him with an unimpressed eyebrow already raised. "That girl you took home last night... Bethany was it? She seemed really into you. How'd that go?"

Bellamy turns around and brings his binoculars back up as Jasper carelessly tries to toss a caramel into his mouth and misses. Bellamy internally cringes when he hears it bounce off the metal siding of the van and skitter somewhere across the floor.

He likes Jasper... Most of the time, but occasionally he finds himself wondering exactly what Chief Jaha was playing at when he paired the two of them together. Bellamy likes quiet and Jasper is anything but. Their relationship had started out rather rocky, but eventually the kid had worn Bellamy down until he could almost tolerate him most days. Today was not one of those days.

"How do you think it went, Jasper?" Bellamy grunts with a roll of his eyes. His patience is wearing thin after hours of being stuck looking at the same empty house and the English muffins from earlier are long gone. He's irritable and hungry and this isn't a conversation he would want to have on a good day, much less right now.

"I'm assuming like all your conquests go since you have an incessant need to be as unhappy as humanly possible," Jasper says, trying to catch another caramel. It bounces off his bottom lip and ricochets off the tiny table the television is standing on to land next to Bellamy's foot.

"Would you stop that?" Bellamy yanks the candies from Jasper's hand and tosses them toward the front of the van. Candy spews out, tiny brown circles decorating the stained beige carpeting. Jasper makes a noise of annoyed amusement at the back of his throat and reaches into the paper bag on the floor beside him. He pulls out another box of caramels. Bellamy grunts, unsurprised.

"That's just wasteful," Jasper sighs as he rips open the new box of candy. He doesn't try to toss it into his mouth again; instead he makes a show of carefully placing it on his tongue and slowly closing his mouth. Bellamy narrows his brown eyes and reaches across the space between their chairs to smack Jasper firmly on the back of the head.

"Smartass."

Jasper grins widely and chews unnecessarily loud. As soon as it came his smile disappears and is replaced by a look of complete seriousness. He snatches the binoculars from Bellamy's hands, dropping his new box of candy in the process, and leans over him. One hand is pressed to the arm rest on Bellamy's chair, the other is holding the binoculars firmly in place, and his head is just shy of being visible from outside the van. Stealth had never been Jasper's strong suit.

"Dude, what the fuck? Personal space," Bellamy complains and tries to scoot further away from his partner's body by pressing himself into the back of his chair, but finds he has no where to go. He sighs and accepts it, settling back into his seat. He does his best to crane his neck around to see what Jasper is seeing, but the house is too far away and Jasper's torso is directly in front of the television screen. "What is it, Lassie? Is Timmy trapped in a well?" He quips when Jasper remains in the same position for an uncomfortable amount of time. He rolls his eyes when Jasper shushes him and waits for him to say something. Finally, Jasper leans back and tosses the binoculars into Bellamy's lap as he falls back into his chair.

"Holy shit, dude. You're not going to believe this," he motions for Bellamy to take a look, still slack jawed from whatever he'd seen.

Jasper was right. He doesn't believe what he's seeing.

"Something's not right," Bellamy says with a shake of his head. He puts the binoculars down and squints at the television, watching as several men dressed in street clothes carry arm loads of unsheathed guns into an empty warehouse.

"What do you mean it's not right?" Jasper asks, tugging at his bulletproof vest through his button up shirt. He fidgets when he's excited.

"I mean, obvious isn't Shumway's M.O. He's baiting us. He knows we're here," Bellamy shakes his head again and runs a frustrated hand through his curled brown hair. "I bet he has papers for every single gun in there. He's watching us watch him."

Jasper scoffs.

"You're being paranoid, dude. How would he know we're watching him?"

"Dirty cop?"

"No one knows about this except the unit. I trust those guys with my life. I thought you did too."

Bellamy flinches at the hurt in Jasper's eyes and rolls his lips between his teeth.

"I don't know, man. Something's not adding up here." He looks at Jasper questioningly and raises his eyebrows. "Does this feel right to you?"

Jasper glances at the television screen and shakes his head so slightly Bellamy thinks he may have imagined it before he speaks.

"No, and I know you're usually right about these things. I hate to admit it, but you're actually pretty smart," Jasper smiles. "I'll call this in," he says as he stands and jerks a thumb over his shoulder toward the screen. He claps a hand over Bellamy's shoulder as he makes his way to the radio to speak with a dispatcher.

Bellamy nods silently and leans closer to the screen. He presses his hands together and places his forefingers to his lips, resting his chin on his thumbs and balancing his elbows on his thighs.

"What are you up to?" He mutters to himself.

"Of all the cliché things about being a doctor, why does the bad cafeteria food one have to be true?" Monty whines as he tosses a styrofoam container of dried out cornbread onto his tray. Clarke laughs as he knocks his tray into hers and bumps her shoulder. "Why can't you just make all of our meals?'

"Because I have to sleep at some point and I don't get enough as it is."

She makes a face at the green jello at the end of the dessert table and pushes at the tiny plate with a hesitant finger. It's been out for too long and the edges have started to melt, but her choices are limited to the jello or the lone piece of chocolate cake that she's pretty sure someone had stuck their finger in. She shudders and decides desert isn't necessary. Monty slides in behind her and reaches over to grab the piece of cake. She looks at him incredulously as he plops it onto his plate with a pleased smile.

"What?" He asks with a shrug as he brushes his dark hair from his forehead. "It's not like I haven't already been exposed to whatever that kid had on their hands."

"You assume it was a kid… and that it was just germs they had on their hands."

Monty's face screws up and Clarke laughs as he puts the cake back and picks up a jello instead.

"Point taken, Ms. Griffin, point taken."

Clarke laughs again and starts toward the register when someone collides into her, spilling her open glass of tea down her pale blue scrub top and smearing green beans into the pristine white of her coat.

"Oh, god, Clarke, I'm so sorry!" A familiar voice says, taking the napkins from her hands and trying to wipe at the stains. She sucks in a breath and snatches the napkins back, taking a step away from the man in front of her. She catches a glimpse of Monty out of the corner of her eye with his eyebrows raised and a frown on his face. She's pretty sure her face looks similar.

"Its fine, _Dr. Collins,_ it was an accident. It's not a problem."

She turns around and places her upset tray onto the metal of the buffet table and starts to pick up the bits of food that had landed in the floor.

"Here, let me help," the young man says and bends to help her.

She throws up a hand and shakes her head, forcing a smile without looking at him.

"I've got it. Thank you."

She lets out a sigh of relief when he nods and walks away without another word. She makes a mistake though when she looks up too soon to find his warm brown eyes trained on her over his shoulder. She swallows hard and forces herself to look away. When her eyes flicker involuntarily to where he stood a moment ago he's already gone. Monty clears his throat beside her which causes her to jump.

"I guess you'll be having a side of awkward for desert," he mutters as he bends down to help her.

She laughs and shakes her head to hide the tears forming in the edge of her eyes.

"A big, heaping serving," she agrees.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, Clarke. You're young, you're beautiful, and you're _single_."

"Thanks for the reminder," Clarke mutters as she takes a bite of her cheeseburger. She wipes daintily at the edges of her mouth with her cheap paper napkin and takes a sip of water before shaking her head at her friend. He's been trying to talk her into going to some kind of dive bar with him and his friend Jasper for the past half hour, but all she really wants to do is go home and curl up in the bed for a few hours, or days. "I'm also tired. In fact, I'm more tired than any of the things you just mentioned."

"You have to get back out there, Clarke. It's been weeks. Besides, there's no way you're more tired than you are beautiful. I mean, look at you," Monty says with a grin and reaches across the table to give her hand a gentle squeeze. She smiles warmly at him, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"I know," she pulls her hand from his grasp and into her lap. She looks down at the napkin in her hands and starts ripping it into tiny pieces. She stares intently at the tiny scraps of stained paper before speaking again. "I'll go," she says and looks up at Monty with a small smile.

"You sure?"

"Are you seriously going to give me a chance to change my mind after hounding me for half an hour?" Clarke asks with a laugh. "It's a good thing you're a doctor and not a lawyer, because your negotiation skills are crap."

"Fair point," Monty agrees with a nod of his head before excusing himself to use the phone and call Jasper with the update.

Clarke sighs to herself once he's out of ear shot and swallows down the nervous knot in her throat. He's right. She hasn't been out in weeks, save for dinner with Monty and a movie last week with Wells. She needs to move on. She wants to, but it's proving to be easier said than done. Tonight she's going to try.

"Don't let me leave the bar tonight without someone's phone number," Clarke blurts out as Monty makes his way back to their table and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Clarke places her elbows on the table and looks down at her hands in embarrassment. "I have to move on. This is bordering on pathetic. We weren't even really a thing, right?" She risks a glance up at Monty who is looking at her with a sympathetic smile.

"I'll make sure you get at least two," he says quietly.

Bellamy frowns at the grainy, black and white security camera picture in his hand and slides it behind the stack to look at the next one. He leans back in his chair and tosses the pile of photos onto his desk with a sigh. Weeks of surveillance and all they have to show for it are a few pictures of the low totem guys doing the grunt work. The way things are going this investigation is going to take months, maybe even a couple years. He runs a frustrated hand through his hair and props his feet up on his tiny desk. He notices himself in the reflection of the photo frame to his right and groans. His dark hair is a mess and the dark circles under his eyes are more pronounced than they've ever been. He gives himself a once over and shakes his head at the wrinkled state of his khaki pants and white button down. His left shoe has cracks along the side at the sole and one of the strings on the right shoe has started to fray and split apart. He needs a drink and a long hot shower, both of which he's too tired for. He presses the heels of his hands to his eyes until he sees colors bursting. If Octavia could see him now she would scold him and tell him to take better care of himself. The trouble is he's not really sure how to do that.

"Come out with me."

Bellamy's eyes shoot open as his feet are swept to the side and land to the floor with a clunk. He raises and unimpressed eyebrow at the intruder who's made a home on his desk and is currently wrinkling paperwork with his backside.

"I'm going home," Bellamy says with a shake of his head as he stands to gather his jacket. He frowns and pushes Jasper's shoulder lightly in indication for him to get off the desk. Jasper scrambles out of the way and stumbles when he stands too fast for his balance to catch on.

"Come on," Jasper insists and shimmies his slender shoulders in what Bellamy can only assume is a motion that's meant to look like dancing. Bellamy snorts and gathers the papers Jasper was sitting on and the briefcase under his desk. He pops the case open and slides the papers inside before closing the lid and snapping the locks. He moves past Jasper who slides right back in front of him and places a hand on Bellamy's chest, but quickly removes it when Bellamy glances down at it then back up at him with a scowl. He throws his hands up in surrender and takes a step back. "One drink, man," he says and pauses for a beat, giving Bellamy a once over. He winces. "You obviously need it."

"Fine," Bellamy agrees and pinches the bridge of his nose. He knows better than to argue with Jasper when he has his mind set on something. If he doesn't agree now his phone will go off the rest of the night with text messages and notifications from every social medium Jasper can get his hands on and they won't stop no matter how many times Bellamy threatens to break every one of Jasper's fingers so he can't use his phone anymore. Plus, that drink is sounding better to him by the minute. Jasper claps his hands together happily and moves in beside Bellamy.

"Great, we'll take my car," Jasper says. "Just let me grab my keys."

"No," Bellamy disagrees with a shake of his head. "If I have to go to the bar with you there's no way in hell I'm leaving myself at the mercy of your driving skills too." He pauses for a beat and shudders at the memory of the last time he trusted Jasper behind the wheel. He'd seen his life flash before his eyes at least three times. Despite being a cop Jasper had very little regard for traffic laws and Bellamy had spent the ten minute car ride yelling at Jasper to yield and use turn signals.

"It wasn't _that _bad," Jasper grumbles, pouting slightly.

"It was that bad and you're not driving me anywhere ever again."

When they reach the parking lot Bellamy tosses his suitcase into the backseat of his multicolored, beat up, '97 sedan and closes the stubborn door with a forceful kick. Octavia is always on him about getting a new car, but he can't really see the point when his still gets him to where he needs to go without problems, at least without many problems. Sure, the speedometer no longer works, the oil is leaking, and the rearview mirror is duct taped in place, but he doesn't need a pretty car. He needs a working car.

"I guess it's actually a good thing we're taking your car instead," Jasper says with a smirk. "At least if a drunk at the bar side swipes this piece of crap it might improve the look of it."

"It's not a piece of crap. It works fine…most of the time," Bellamy defends. "It's just a little rough around the edges is all."

"Rough around the edges?" Jasper asks with a bark of laughter. "That thing is rough all over."

"Just shut up and find something on the radio," Bellamy says with a shake of his head. He turns his head slightly to hide the half smile on his lips from his partner.

When they get to the bar the parking lot is empty as always. Even on the bar's busiest nights the patrons could still be counted on both hands. Bellamy glances to his right at the sad excuse for a sign that hangs limply outside of the run down building. The words Aurora's Palace used to glow brightly, but now most of the bulbs have been shot and the ones left over only shine through the bottom half of the letters or blink lazily on and off. Bellamy moves across the gravel driveway to the scratched up red door. When he swings it open he notices a busted window that wasn't there before and frowns to himself. He makes a mental note to get what's needed to cover the window up for now and call someone in to replace it. He hears Jasper suck in a whistle at the damage as he walks through the door and shake his head. He can't believe Octavia has left it like that all day. He knows she's been here for hours and she must have seen it when she walked in that afternoon.

"O!" He calls out to the empty dance floor. His frown deepens when he doesn't get an answer. "Octavia!" He tries again. This time there's a loud crash in the back of the bar and his entire body tenses. His hand automatically reaches for his weapon. Then he hears a giggle. He sighs and relaxes when he recognizes who it belongs to.

"Big brother!" Octavia says as she stumbles out from the door to the back. She straightens her shirt and falls back against the door. She's breathing heavily and her cheeks are flushed, but her blue eyes are bright and happy. "How are you?"

"What were you doing back there?" Bellamy asks, ignoring her question. He eyes her suspiciously as she pushes herself off the door with a far too innocent smile.

"Stocking up," she says with a nod. "Yeah, got a new shipment in today."

"It's Friday," Bellamy says flatly. "The truck doesn't come again until Monday. Besides, isn't that what you have Atom for?" He narrows his eyes at his sister who shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. Octavia was good at lots of things, but lying had never been one of them, especially to Bellamy.

"Came in early. I gave Atom the day off. He's out of town. Seeing his grandparents I think," she spouts out, but the words tumble together. "Who wants a drink?!" She rushes behind the counter of the bar and heads straight for Bellamy's favorite whiskey and pours him a shot. She motions to Jasper with a second shot and he and Bellamy both make their way over to the bar and take a seat on one of the worn out red faux leather stools. Bellamy has the drink poised to his lips to down it when out of the corner of his eye he sees the back door swing open and closed. He takes the shot and stares out the corner of his eye at Octavia who busies herself with wiping down the already clean bar top.

"Out of town, huh?" Bellamy asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I may have heard him wrong," Octavia says with a shrug and a small smile.

Bellamy makes a face and slides the shot glass toward her to fill up again. It's not that he doesn't like Atom. He does. It's just that he doesn't think anyone can keep her safe. He doesn't even trust himself with that task sometimes. She grins at him as she fills up his glass.

"I'm happy, Bell," she says quietly.

"Then I'm happy for you. Doesn't mean I'm not having a talk with Atom about sneaking around. That goes for you too," he says with a shake of his head, but he smiles at his little sister. She leans across the bar and smacks him lightly on the arm with her damp towel.

"You look like crap," she says fondly as he gives him a once over.

"Your hair's a mess," he shoots back with a grin. Octavia's eyes widen and she turns around to look behind her in the giant mirror that runs behind the bar where the shelves of liquor are. Her mouth gapes open at the state of her hair. It's mussed and sticking out in strange places.

"Excuse me," she mutters and disappears into the bathroom on the other side of the bar.

"Atom, huh? You really think he's good enough for her?" Jasper asks and reaches across the bar to grab the bottle of whiskey. He pours himself another shot and downs it quickly.

"I don't think anyone's good enough for her," Bellamy says with a shake of his head. He runs a tired hand through his hair and sighs. "But she's going to pick whoever she wants. Not like I can do anything about it short of throwing the guy in jail and I'm pretty sure dating my sister isn't reasonable cause to arrest someone." Jasper nods and rolls the shot glass slowly around in his hand. He sits it down and frowns at his reflection in the mirror when something in the corner of the bar catches his eye and his expression brightens. Bellamy glances in the direction Jasper is looking and sees a familiar face making his way though the door, but the pretty blond behind him is decidedly less familiar, but just as welcome.

"Who's that with Monty?" Bellamy mutters while they're still out of ear shot.

"That's Clarke," Jasper says and looks over at Bellamy. "Oh no."

"What?" Bellamy asks innocently and turns around to greet the new patrons with a smile.

"I know that look," Jasper whispers as they get closer. "No way, Bellamy. She's not just some girl. Don't pull your shit. Not tonight."

"I don't have a look," Bellamy hisses back.

"_You have a look_. Shut up. They're coming over here."

"Don't you two know whispering is rude?" Monty says with a grin as he reaches the bar and sits down next to Jasper.

"I was just telling Jasper how nice it is to meet new people," Bellamy says, directing his statement at Clarke instead of his two friends. "I'm Bellamy," he says and extends a hand toward the young woman in front of him.

"Clarke," she says with a smile that makes her even prettier. She moves past him to sit on the stool on the other side of Monty and Bellamy swallows a sigh of disappointment. He pours himself another shot and glances around Jasper and Monty to look at her. He's pleasantly surprised to find her looking back at him.

He reaches over the counter to grab another shot glass and holds the bottle up toward her with a questioning look. When she nods he pours a shot and slides it down to her. She takes it graciously and tilts in back in one swift motion. He's suddenly glad he let Jasper talk him into coming out tonight.


End file.
